Wrestling camps return after more than two years

NEW DELHI: Indian wrestling seems to be heading back to normalcy after a tumultuous period that saw the country’s grapplers being deprived of training collectively at national camps and missing domestic and international competitions.

After more than two years, a regular national camp for the men’s and women’s freestyle and greco-roman wrestlers will be conducted by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) after it was granted full recognition by the sports ministry.

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The proposed camps will not be held at the traditional Sonepat, NIS Patiala or Lucknow centres. This time, the federation has resolved to organise the camps at two new cities – Gandhinagar and Pune.

According to sources, the women’s camp will be held at the Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) Netaji Subhas Western Centre in Gandhinagar, while the men’s wrestlers will train at the Army Sports Institute (ASI) in Pune.

A proposal has already been sent to SAI and the clearance is awaited. The camps were originally scheduled to commence from April 7 but have been postponed by four-five days, a WFI source informed.

“The camps will now begin from April 12 and continue until June 30. A total of 30 wrestlers in each weight style (men’s and women’s freestyle and greco-roman) will participate in the two camps. The top three in each weight category selected during the trials for the recently-held Asian championships will constitute part of the core group,” the source added.